DODGERS 8, COLORADO 0: Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig shine for L.A.

DENVER - For one night, the conversation wasn't all about rookie sensation Yasiel Puig.

Granted, the Dodgers outfielder did have another stellar game, which is pretty much the standard these days. But Clayton Kershaw accomplished what few have been able to do lately - he stole some of Puig's spotlight.

Kershaw tossed a four-hitter for his second shutout of the season as the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 8-0 on Tuesday.

"He had everything working," manager Don Mattingly said of his ace.

Kershaw (7-5) kept the Rockies off balance all night, even top hitter Michael Cuddyer, who had his franchise-record 27-game hitting streak halted after going hitless in four plate appearances.

Cuddyer flied out to Puig in right to end the game.

"If it was going to end, might as well end against the best pitcher in the league," Cuddyer said.

Kershaw allowed just one runner to get to second all evening. The hard-throwing Kershaw had eight strikeouts and walked none.

"I had pretty good fastball command tonight," he nonchalantly said.

Asked about the offense and his face lit up as he pedaled on the exercise bike after the game.

"It's awesome," Kershaw said. "It's a tough lineup right now to get through. Puig's on another planet. You keep thinking he can't keep this up, not just singles, he's been hitting the ball really hard everywhere. I've been really, really impressed."

It's hard not to be. The 22-year-old Puig had three more hits, including a solo homer, to raise his average to .443 this season.

"Whatever league that I'm in I'm going to do the best I can," he said through a translator. "I'm going to play wherever they ask me to play."

Roy Oswalt (0-3) was roughed up in his first start at Coors Field this season. He allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings.

Adrian Gonzalez broke open the game with a two-run homer in the third and Juan Uribe added a pair of RBI singles. Hanley Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the second.

Kershaw found himself in a rather unfamiliar position - with a big early lead. He entered the game with the second-lowest run support of any NL starter.

But the Dodgers gave Kershaw an early four-run cushion, more than enough for him. It was Kershaw's third complete game of the season and second shutout. He held the San Francisco Giants without a run in his first start of the season on April 1.

"He had his `A' game, no question," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "It was going to be tough to score off of him. He was at the top of his game and when he is, you have to scratch and claw for everything."

The fans showed up early to watch Puig send one monster shot after another into the stands during batting practice.

Puig was even more impressive once the game began.

These days, it's hard not to take notice of Puig. His 44 hits in June were a Dodgers rookie record for a month.

He carried it over into July with a single in the first and a double off the right-field scoreboard in the third. Puig sent a pitch from reliever Adam Ottavino over the fence in the deepest part of the park for his eighth homer this season.

Puig wasn't done there. He also made a running catch in foul territory, veering right for the seats before suddenly turning to avoid a collision.

Cuddyer failed to get a hit for the first time since May 27. His streak was the longest in the majors this season.

Cuddyer didn't reach base, either, bringing his streak of 46 straight games with a hit, walk or being plunked by a pitch to an end.

Dodgers acquire Marmol

With a few minor adjustments to his mechanics, the Dodgers believe they can resurrect the career of reliever Carlos Marmol.

The Dodgers acquired the struggling closer from the Chicago Cubs for right-hander Matt Guerrier.

"He's still got a lot of youth to him," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "He's not on the downside of his career. He needs, perhaps, a change of scenery and an adjustment with his delivery."

Colletti said the team detected flaws in Marmol's mechanics, something they feel confident can be worked out. Marmol is currently in the Dominican Republic, but should report to the team soon.

"Anytime you can add somebody who's had success pitching the ninth, you can always use them in roles that don't include the ninth," Colletti said. "We're looking to add to the pen. Whatever that role becomes, it will become."

The Cubs designated Marmol for assignment last week. He was 2-4 with two saves and a 5.86 ERA in 31 appearances this season, striking out 32 while walking 21.

An All-Star as a setup man in 2008, Marmol's best year as a closer was 2010, when he had 38 saves in 43 chances along with 138 strikeouts.

"His stuff is power stuff," manager Don Mattingly said. "At the end of the day, he helps us. We know he's a guy that has good stuff and has a potential to be nasty."

"We think that we have found a couple of points in his delivery that with an adjustment could bring him back. Talking to him today, he's excited to start anew, to see if he can get better, and if he can return to the form he was in not too long ago."

Guerrier is 25-33 with six saves and a 3.54 ERA over 10 seasons in the major leagues. He went 2-3 with a 4.80 ERA this season before being designated for assignment on Sunday.

In addition to Marmol, the Dodgers also acquired an international signing bonus slot in the deal, which was just as important, Colletti said. "An opportunity to get somebody with his ninth-inning history, coupled with being able to find a home for Matt Guerrier before we were going to need to release him, coupled with the opportunity to add the slot money on the international side, we thought there were a lot of good pieces to this,"